Resolutlone adopted on the reports of the Third Committee
Optional Protocol to the International COIIenant on Cit/il
and Politieal Rights
The States Parties to the present Protocol,
Considering that in order further to achieve the purposes of
the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (hereinafter referred to as the Covenant) and the implementation of its
provisions it would be appropriate to enable the Human
Rights Committee set up in part IV of the Covenant (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) to receive and consider,
as provided in the present Protocol, communications from
individuals claiming to be victims of violations of any of the
rights set forth in the Covenant,
Have agreed as follows:
Article 1
A State Party to the Covenant that becomes a party to the
present Protocol recognizes the competence of the Committee
to receive and consider communications from individuals subject to its jurisdiction who claim to be victims of a violation
by that State Party of any of the rights set forth in the
Covenant. No communication shall be received by the Committee if it concerns a State Party to the Covenant which is
not a party to the present Protocol.
Article 2
Subject to the provisions of article 1, individuals who claim
that any of their rights enumerated in the Covenant have been
violated and who have exhausted all available domestic remedies
may submit a written communication to the Committee for
consideration.
Article 3
The Committee shall consider inadmissible any communication under the present Protocol which is anonymous, or which
it considers to be an abuse of the right of submission of such
communications or to be incompatible with the ,provisions of
the Covenant.
Article 4
1. Subject to the provisions of article 3, the Committee
shall bring any communications submitted to it under the
present Protocol to the attention of the State Party to the
present Protocol alleged to be violating any provision of
the Covenant.
2. Within six months, the recervmg State shall submit to
the Committee written explanations or statements clarifying
the matter and the remedy, if any, that may have been taken
by that State.
Article 5
1. The Committee shan consider communications received
under the present Protocol in the light of all written information made available to it by the individual and by the State
Party concerned.
2. The Committee shall not consider any communication
from an individual unless it has ascertained that:
(a) The same matter is not being examined under another
procedure of international investigation or settlement;
(b) The individual has exhausted all available domestic
eemedies.
This shan not be the rule where the application of the remedies
is unreasonably prolonged.
3. The Committee shan hold closed meetings when examining
communications under the present Protocol.
4. The Committee shan forward its views to the State
Party concerned and to the individual.
Article 6
The Committee shall include in its annual report under
article 45 of the Covenant a summary of its activities under
the present Protocol.
Article 7
Pending the achievement of the objectives of resolution
1514 (XV) adopted by the General Assembly of the United
59
Nations on 14 December 1960 concerning the Declaration OD
the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and
Peoples, the provisions of the present Protocol shall in no way
limit the right of petition granted to these peoples by the
Charter of the United Nations and other international conventions and instruments under the United Nations and its
specialized agencies.
Article 8
1. The present Protocol is open for signature by any State
which has signed the Covenant.
2. The present Protocol is subject to ratification by any
State which has ratified or acceded to the Covenant. Instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations.
3. The present Protocol shall be open to accession by any
State which has ratified or acceded to the Covenant.
4. Accession shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument of accession with the Secretary-General of the United
Nations.
5. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall inform
all States which have signed the present Protocol or acceded
to it of the deposit of each instrument of ratification or
accession.
Article 9
1. Subject to the entry into force of the Covenant, the
present Protocol shall enter into force three months after the
date of the deposit with the Secretary-General of the United
Nations of the tenth instrument of ratification or instrument
of accession.
2. For each State ratifying the present Protocol or acceding
to it after the deposit of the tenth instrument of ratification
or instrument of accession, the ,present Protocol shall enter
into force three months after the date of the deposit of its
own instrument of ratification or instrument of accession.
Article 10
The provisions of the present Protocol shall extend to all
parts of federal States without any limitations or exceptions.
Article 11
1. Any State Party to the present Protocol may propose
an amendment and file it with the Secretary-General of the
United Nations. The Secretary-General shall thereupon communicate any proposed amendments to the States Parties to
the present Protocol with a request that they notify him
whether they favour a conference of States Parties for the
purpose of considering and voting upon the proposal. In the
event that at least one third of the States Parties favours such
a conference, the Secretary-General shall convene the conference under the auspices of the United Nations. Any amendment adopted by a majority of the States Parties present and
voting at the conference shall be submitted to the General
Assembly of the United Nations for approval.
2. Amendments shall come into force when they have been
approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations and
accepted by a two-thirds majority of the States Parties to
the present Protocol in accordance with their respective
constitutional processes.
3. When amendments come into force, they shall be binding
on those States Parties which have accepted them, other State.
Parties still being bound by the provisions of the present
Protocol and any earlier amendment which they have accepted.
Article 12
1. Any State Party may denounce the present Protocol at
any time by written notification addressed to the SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations. Denunciation shall take effect
three months after the date of receipt of the notification by
the Secretary-General.
2. Denunciation shall be without prejudice to the continued
application of the provisions of the present Protocol to any
communication submitted under article 2 before the effective
date of denunciation.
General A.IIemhly-Twenty-firat Se•• ion
60
Article 13
Irrespective of the notifications made under article 8, paragraph S, of the present Protocol, the Secretary-General of
the United Nations shall inform all States referred to in
article 48, paragraph 1, of the Covenant of the following
particulars:
(a) Signatures, ratifications and accessions under article 8;
(b) The date 0 f the entry into force of the present Protocol
under article 9 and the date of the entry into force of any
amendments under article 11;
(c) Denunciations under article 12.
Article 14
1. The present Protocol, of which the Chinese, English,
French, Russian and Spanish texts are equally authentic, shall
be deposited in the archives of the United Nations.
2. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall
transmit certified copies of the present Protoool to all States
referred to in article 48 of the Covenant.
B
The General Assembly,
Considering that the text of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the text
of the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights and the text of the Optional Protocol to the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
should be made known throughout the world,
1. Requests the Governments of States and nongovernmental organizations to publicize the text of
these instruments as widely as possible, using every
means at their disposal, including all the appropriate
media of information;
2. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure the immediate and wide circulation of these instruments and,
to that end, to publish and distribute the text thereof.
1496th plenary meeting,
16 December 1966.
c
The General Assembly,
Considering the advisability of the proposals for the
establishment of national commissions on human rights
or the designation of other appropriate institutions to
perform certain functions pertaining to the observance
of the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights and the International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights,
1. Invites the Economic and Social Council to request the Commission on Human Rights to examine
the question in all its aspects and to report, through
the Council, to the General Assembly;
2. Requests the Secretary-General to invite Member
States to submit their comments on the question, in
order that the Commission on Human Rights may
take these comments into account when considering
the proposals.
1496th plenary meeting,
16 December 1966.
2214 (XXI). United Nations Cblldren's Fund
The General Assembly,
Taking the opportunity of the twentieth anniversary
of the United Nations Children's Fund to congratulate
Governments, organizations and individuals on their
support of and partnership with the Fund in its two
decades of significant contribution to the well-being of
children throughout the world and to international
solidarity,
Recognizing the value of aid from the United Nations
Children's Fund in helping developing countries accelerate and improve the operation of services benefiting children,
Noting with approval that the United Nations Children's Fund is helping Governments, as part of their
national development plans and programmes, not only
to protect their children and young people, but to ensure
that they receive a suitable preparation for making their
contribution to the economic and social progress of their
countries,
Welcoming the fact that the training of national personnel in services benefiting children is now one of
the major features of aid from the United Nations
Children's Fund,
Commending the continued close co-operation between
the United Nations Children's Fund and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United
Nations Secretariat and the relevant technical and other
agencies in the United Nations family,
Deeply concerned, however, at the magnitude of the
unmet needs of children and youth in the developing
countries and the ever-increasing demands on the resources of the United Nations Children's Fund,
Noting with approval the support in the Economic
and Social Council and the Executive Board of the
United Nations Children's Fund for an income goal
of $50 million to be reached by the end of 1969, at
the close of the United Nations Development Decade,
1. Endorses the activities and objectives of the
United Nations Children's Fund;
2. Urges Governments to increase their contributions to the United Nations Children's Fund and calls
upon supporting organizations, groups and individuals
to intensify their efforts so that the new income goal
may be reached;
3. Recommends that Governments should include
projects to meet the needs of children and youth in
their over-all development plans.
1498th plenary meeting,
19 December 1966.
2215 (XXI). World social situation
The General Assembly,
Reaffirming the solemn undertaking embodied in the
Charter of the United Nations to promote economic
and social progress and better standards of life in larger
freedom,
Recalling its resolutions 1916 (XVIII) of 5 December 1963 and 2035 (XX) of 7 December 1965,
Noting again with deep concern that, despite past
efforts, the world social situation is far from satisfactory,
Noting that progress in the achievement of the goals
and objectives set for the United Nations Development
Decade has been disappointingly slow,
Recognizing the importance of concerted practical
action in the social field for attaining the goals of the
United Nations Development Decade,